3 in 1 Challenges

I have been very time short this week so I am making one card for a couple of challenges, something I rarely ever do as I simply love making cards and usually do them all individually.  However, I am back at work now so am coming home really tired but I will get back to normal soon.  So the challenges are Colour Q and Freshly Made Sketches.  I then remembered about MFT Summer School so considered how I could throw in another lesson too.

When I first saw this colour challenge over at Colour Q this week I thought was 'no way' I was going to be able to do this as the colours are so far off my normal spectrum palate but I think I did a pretty good job.

The colour combo for the weekly challenge was Early Espresso, which I used in the sentiment, Pumpkin Pie, which I used on the My Favorite Things Pinstripe stamp at the far edge, Rich Razzleberry with the heart and Taken With Teal, which I substituted for Island Indigo where I used Cheesecloth stamp from MFT also.  The Island Indigo looks more navy on this photo but it is quite a good teal replacement in real life.  The other orange is Distress Ink Dried Marigold where I used with the Sweater Stitch stamp from MFT.

Inside.

 

Meanwhile at Freshly Made Skches the challenge was this design.

So I flipped it round to make my card.  I could have followed the design in its entirety but where's the fun in that lol.

Lastly, over at My Favorite Things Summer School Symmetrical and Asymmetrical was a lesson and I had already submitted a symmetrical card, so another challenge for me was to do an asymmetrical card.  I think I managed it.

I used the flag from the Die-namics Blueprints 18 set and added rhinestones to embellish.

So great fun meeting 3 challenges in 1 I hope you think I met them too.

To go over to the Colour Q blog click the link and to go to the Freshly Made Sketches blog click that link also.  To see some other Summer School lessons click the My Favorite Things link.  I hope you have fun checking out all the other creations.  See you tomorrow. Take care of you.

Pauline x

Mint and Silver For My Summer School Lesson

Today I have been playing with my Stampin' Up! stencils for this card and it is also for the My Favorite Things Summer School.  This lesson is all about hard and soft.  Now this card has a bit of both, soft edges in the Scribbles die,  the butterfly and the Zig Zag circle but it is predominantly hard as the larger elements have square edges and so does the stencil area, so a little of both. 

The card is Mint Macaron and the sentiment stickers are from Tim Holtz. I used Black Soot Distress Ink on the background.

The circle was first heat embossed using silver embossing powder from SU and the Whimsical Wishes stamp from My Favorite Things then die cut using the Zig Zag Circles from Die-namics.  The butterfly was made using Mint Macaron ink and the Bold Butterfly framelit both from SU and stamped with the Sweater Stitch stamp from MFT.

Silver foil Scribbles, from Die-namics, were die cut for the front and inside using silver foil from SU.  The washi tape is from SU and the heart is from the Bitty set.

The embellishments are the White Perfect Accents from SU coloured with a silver Sharpie.

I love this colour combo, what do you think?  Why not join me back here tomorrow for another card.  Take care of you.

Pauline x

#tgifc12 Weekly Challenge

Today's card has many of my favourite things; Dotty Angles stamped the entire length of the page from Stampin' Up!, this is stamped in Antique Linen Distress Ink and die cut using Blueprints 15 die set from Die-namics, "happy" from the 'Hello You' die set from SU die cut in Whisper White and the bottom card is also WW die cut from B15 set.  

I wanted a very light background yet despite owning more than 100 ink pads I struggled with what I wanted, even this ink is darker than I would have liked.

I have used a Project Life card die cut using Stitched Rectangles from Die-namics and a silver embossed flag which was stamped with my SU Woodgrain stamp then heat embossed with silver embossing powder, also from SU.  The silver peg is from my stash and adhered with Glue Dots from SU.  The "happy" is simply held in place by the peg.

For the inside layer I chose Very Vanilla from SU die cut using Stitched Rectangles, stamped a sentiment from SU and again die cut this using Stitched Rectangles.  This has been raised on foam dots.

The entire page is on Dimentionals as is the middle rectangle and the butterfly.  The card has been embellished with silver sequin and rhinestones.  The envelope is Very Vanilla and stamped.

Why not head over to the #tgifc12 page, click here

I hope you have enjoyed this card.  See you tomorrow hopefully with another exciting and inspiring card.  Take care of you.

Pauline x

Freshly Made Sketches Weekly Challenge

However, today primary colours must still be in my headspace because for this week's Freshly Made Sketches challenge I made this.

Right up until I was adding the sequin I wasn't sure about this card, in my head I knew exactly what I wanted but as I putting it together I was full of doubt.  Now I love it.  

I used the new Cotton Paper from Stampin' Up! die cut and stamped from Flower Patch and coordinating dies then layered with foam dots onto a Basic Gray Striped Cover Up die from My Favorite Things, Dienamics.  I used a large Pierced a Tag to create the accent at the bottom, which had been stamped with Sweater Knit with Antique Linen Distress Ink.  I then used the 'Hello' only from the Hello Life stamp set from SU then die cut this with a small tag die.  I used Watermelon Wonder ink from SU with this.  A small foam dot and Glossy Accents were used to adhere this down.  

From the side you can see how the petals curl, I used a bone folder on all the petals for this.

Inside I used a Stitched Rectangle from Dienamics and a die from Hello You from SU.  This was die cut in whisper white and watermelon wonder and I offset them slightly to create a bit of a shadow effect.  Silver sequin then added to embellish front and inside.  

Why not head over to Freshly Made Sketches blog, click here and see what others have been creating.

See you tomorrow.  Take care of you.  

Pauline x

Primary Colours

Over on MFT Stamps Summer School is in and yesterday's lesson was 'Primary Colours'; red, blue and yellow.  So to reflect I was listening to my teacher I made this last night but waited until today to photograph in good daylight.

I used Distress Inks, Salty Ocean, Festive Berries and Squeezed Lemonade, stamped Elegant Butterflies in Black Archival ink then punch them out with my Elegant and Bitty butterfly punches from Stampin'  Up!

To head over to the MFT blog and check out their SummerSchool just click  here

See you tomorrow, take care of you.

Pauline x

Navy and Crushed Curry Card

Do any of you start with a concept in your head, or a design, and when you're finished it is nothing like you started with, with this card that's what happened lol.  I started with a very firm idea of what I thought I wanted and an hour later it's entirely different.  Ah well just as well I like the finished result.

When I started I was having a white 'you', then it was navy and lastly it's Smoky Slate.  I wasn't having a peg then I did and where the navy triangle came from I have no idea, it just happened all on its own bwhahaha.

The background I very lightly stamped with Antique Linen Distress Ink using a Gorgeous Grunge stamp.  

Leave me a comment if these things happen to you to, I can't be the only one!  Take care of you.

Pauline x

Weekly Challenges Card

It was only a matter of time when I would join in the My Favorite Things sketch challenge, wasn't it?  I have fallen head over heals in love with their products ever since I ordered the Round Stitched Rectangles and Stitched Rectangles die sets a month ago. Since then they have become a staple go to for me every time I make a card, which right now is many times every day lol.  I also participate in the Colour Q challenge and the card will be entered into this also.  So here is what I have made.

First I heat embossed with clear embossing powder onto Whisper White card from Stampin' Up! using my new favourite stamp Sweater Knit from MFT.  This was then die cut from the large stitched rectangle from Blueprints 15 and forms the base to my card. 

I then stamped Sweater Knit again in Costal Cabana ink from Stampin' Up! and die cut this using a Round Stitched die.  I then punched out butterfly on WW card using the Bitty punch then punch out the negative using a 1" punch, both from SU.  This was then raised on Dimensionals.   I stamped the sentiment in Archival ink in Plum onto a 1/2" strip of velum. 

The Colour Q purple colours I don't have so I used Milled Lavender Didtress ink from Tim Holtz. Using a sponge applicator I inked a length of WW then cut out a 1/4" strip. I also cut out a 1/4 strip of Daffodil Delight.  These were then positioned under the velum sentiment strip allowing s bit of each to pop through top and bottom. 

Inside my card is decorated as always. I used the largest around Stitched Rectangle die and WW the took a 1/4" strip of the same Summer Starfruits paper adhering this on the back of the base and added rhinestones to embellish. 

The butterflies were punch out also with the Bitty punch from the Milled Lavender card and a retired Designer Series Paper that is Summer Starfruit in colour.  Rhinestones and tiny foam dots were added then they were positioned on the card. 

Here are the two challenges I have entered this card into.  Click here  to go to the My  Favorite Things site and here  to go to the Colour Q blog.  Both have great ideas and cards others have made and are definitely worth a visit. 

I hope today is good to you.  Mine has already started well with breakfast in bed made by my gorgeous wee guy for my birthday.  The rest of my day will be card designing and Wimbledon, heaven. 

Take care of you.  

Pauline x

Flaming Hot!

I am so in love once again with all my distress ink, paints and of course my Dylusions.  I have thoroughly enjoyed, loved even, getting back into my art journalling.  It is so relaxing, restful and down right so much fun.

Here is today's page. 

And this is how it looks in my journal.

The hearts are from Stampotique and they have had Glossy Accents added to give them a little extra.  The girls red lips have also had some Glossy Accent treatment giving their luscious lips a bit of a pout lol.

Hope your weekend is full of fun.  Take card of you.

Pauline x

Art Journaling Means Hours Of Fun.

Today I have been having more fun playing in my art journal.

Firstly I challenged myself again to use Stampin' Up! products in the main.  I used Distress Ink's for the background then I used only SU stamps and ink.  I used my set of Micron pens to doodle.

Tonight I used some new Distress Paints I just received and also my new Dylusions stamp called Pondering Petunia. 

I love to doodle and literally spend hours adding in all the dots and lines.  I find doing this so restful and I just completely zone out, with hours passing before I realise.  I love it.

I hope the week has been kind to you and you have a wonderful weekend.

Take care of you.

Pauline x

The Dylusions Facebook Challenge

Who doesn't love Dylusions?  It's been a while since I just let myself go, well in an art journal I mean, so I wanted to support one of my great admirers Sandra who has set up a new challenge page in homage to the one and only Dyan Reaveley.  So how else was I going to spend my day?  I had said I would do some housework and I have a bit, and now I'm all covered in ink and glue I will stick my hands in the sink.  The challenge was to use pink, turquoise and leaves.

So here is how I started.

This is a journal I received from Joanne James, my Stampin' Up! up line.  I started painting the pages with white gesso to create a base.

Then using my Gelatos, which I have not used like in 'forever', oh yes and completely forgetting already about the pink and turquoise challenge, I picked yellow, orange and red!  I adore Gelatos and if you haven't used them before you need to, they are great fun.

So after blending them this was my background.  I then forgot to take more photos, sorry, but well you're in the moment and you forget!  Everyone does this, right?  Ok, so I then stamped leaves using black ink and after waiting for what seemed ages (I did do some dishes) I proceeded to smudge the ink!  So out came my black gesso and I painted my leaves.

I then stamped this pretty lady out and using my Derwent Inktense and Faber Castel watercolour pencils I used lots of pink and purple.  I didn't really have a close turquoise so I used Distress Ink in Evergreen Bough, smudged onto my glass mat, spritzed with some water and coloured in her dress.  I then used a couple of green Inktense pencils to add some depth.

I used a micron pen, 03, and went back round all the black lines.

Here are some close ups so you can see all the added elements.  I used a Micron 01 pen.

As you can see I kinda went to town with dots.  Reason?  Well, because of the saying actually.  It's a new challenge and a new start.  A new start also means an 'end' and the end can be thought of with a full-stop or '.'!  Well I thought it was quite clever lol.  She was then cut out and adhered using Decopatch glue.

I also used Tim Holtz stencil, the cracked glass one and using a blender and Evergreen Bough ink created the added layer.  

So there we are, cracked glass, dots and lots of doodling.  Thanks for dropping by, back to the housework now.

Take care of you.

Pauline x

Items used:

Faber Castell Gelatos in cream, lemon, tango mango, tangerine and red cherry.

Faber Castell watercolour pencils in 131,132,119,125 and 134.

Derwent Inktense watercolour pencils in Fushia, Mauve, Violet, Poppy Red, Field Green and Teal Green.

Micron pens in 01 and Signo white pigment ink pen in white.

Dylusions stamps: Around The Edge, Further Around the Edge, Bordering On The Edge, The Right Words and Curious Corrin.

Tim Holtz Distress Ink Evergreen Bough, and Shatter stencil.

Graphic 45 Meets Stampin' Up!

Hi all.  This week end I have been busy, busy, busy.  First I completed my Mother Goose mini and on Saturday night and today I made another easel mini album.  Although quite simple they still take around 3 hours to make due to all the fussy cutting, layering and assembly.

The background paper is Stampi' Up! and the embellishments are from the 'Couture' collection from Graphic 45.

The frame is cut using my Sizzix Eclips.  The roses are I Am Roses.

All the pages and embellishments have been distressed using Black Soot Distress Ink.

Ever page is constructed from poster board, which is extremely sturdy.

Here I have used the tag top punch and silver ribbon, both from stampin' Up!

This stamp is En Francais from Stampin' Up!, I love this stamp so much.

I still need to attach a Tim Holtz easel to the back so it will stand up alone and I will be embellishing it further will lots of Glossy Accents for sparkle, layers and dimension.

I hope you love this like I do, there are so special to make.

Take care of you.

Pauline x